Refrigerant plate



May 9 1953 H. W. KLEls-r 2,638,754

REFRIGERANT PLATE Filed March 2, 1949 Patented May 19, 1953 EEFMGERANTLPLATE Vlerman W; Kleist,"'Chicago,` Ill .,.assignor toDole Refrigeratng' Company, Chieagoll.; a; corporation of Illinois Application March `2, 1949;; Serial" No.79,2?4

` (Glanz-12s) f Claims. l

:My invention relates to an improvement in cold plates, and has for one purpose to provide afplane-sidedv cold. plate which is eflicient in .use and simple .-to. manufacture.

Anotherfobjectis to provide a cold plate which includes a pressed metal coil or evaporator. passage structure.

Anotherobject is to provide a cold plate lin which,` iniassociation with the pressed metal coil, a-container is provided which is adaptedto receive an -eutectic Another purpose is to provide an improved cold plate `in which apressure differential between the interiore-nd` the exterior of. the plate is employed to hold.y .partsf of the plate in heat. exchange relationship.

xAnothenpurpose is to provide a plate having a :pressed metal coil and. a plane wall .which is held in Contact with the coil or with heat transfer venes, by a .pressuredifferential between the interior and the exterior of the plate.

Other ypurposes will. appear` from. time to time in the course of thespeciiication and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or .less diagrammatically vin theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure' l; isa plan view;

Figure 2 is a side view of the structure of Figure l;

Figure 3. is a `section on an `enlarged. scale, on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, with parts broken away;

Figure-4 is a section similar to Figure 3, through.

avaria-nt form of plate; and

lFigure 5 isa section on the line of Figureni. hike parts are indicated by like symbols throughoutf the speciicaticn and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, IY generally indicates a plate side wall ol sheet metal, shown asl plane from edge to edge. Zegenerally' indicates ani inn terrnediatewall of sheet metal' which is show-nas pressed into proper shape to cle'line,4 withf the wail I, an evaporatingcoil or passage; generally. indicated as A. The'imember' 2; may have plane edge portions and intermediate plane portions il, all of which abut against the inner surface .oflthe side wall I. "They are appropriately secured together. They may, for example, be initially spotwelded, and thereafter seam-welded, in such fashion that the two walls together dene an evaporator passage or coil A which is substam tially gas-tight from the end 5 to the end 5.

The coil proper is formed by bowed or offset wall portions 'I' of the wall 2, which may be of any suitable contour, and which are herein shown as generally rounded and so formed as to be readily made by a pressing operation. It will be understood` that the endsl ofthezevaporator .passage A,

as at.5..and. l6,..are connected to suitable ducts or tubesimfand Ita, .whichmay` constitute, respectively, inletand outlet` passages' fora volatile re frigerant. .Ifthe volatile refrigerant is admitted inliquid or partiallyliquid form Lthroughthe pipe 5a, it is allowed to evaporate in the coil space A, andthe` evaporated refrigerantmay then be dischargedalong thetubewa.

.In-..designing..and .using cold. plates I find it highlydesirab-letojhave the sides of the plates pla-ne, and .inmost instances parallel. It is easierfto. cleanthe surfacesofLthe plates and` to removefrost. `Plane surfacedplates are applicable to..a.wde varietyofuses. 'It is frequently important to. nest suchplates in .narrow spaces, theindividual plates having adjacent walls separated by air spaces, asin air conditioning units and the. like, orin refrigerating units for cooling o air' or liquids. TInlthat. event,.it.is important to havethe .outersurfacesof Vthe plates. plane on both sides. .I employ. a. second outside` wall4 I0, shown .as plane throughout.most `of its surface, but. as having side .wall .portions I I .and edge flanges l2 .which may be secured to` corresponding portionsof. the edge4 of the side wall I, to'form a housing .or plate-whichis.gas-tight.

.It will `be .understood that I` may. form a. plate otherwise-than Aby the. particular `shape of edge danses hereinshQWn,v but the structure shown in the drawings. .ist practical e and satisfactory. `The space betweentherside wall IU Vand the 4intermediate-.walll 2, whichly indicateas B, may` receive an eutectic orfmay be.. airrflled. In either eventi prefer partially to exhaust the space B. This may be done in any suitable fashion, but` Imay, forexarnple, employany suitable-pump, not hereinsshown, lto exhaustfair through. the fitting gen orally/indicated: as I4. :Thislfitting may have a duct. l5 through .which air maybe drawn fromthe interiorl :of the; pla-te. When a suitable. pressure differential. has vbeen obtained. the operation of thefpurnprimayv-be terminated. When `this .takes placeathef outsidel .i airgpressure A.urges the .locking ball I6 against the inlet end of the duct or passage I5. Thereafter, any suitable sealing material may be positioned about the ball I6, if desired, and a tight closure plug I1 may be inserted. As a result, the pressure differential may be permanently, or substantially permanently, maintained, with the outside excess pressure effective to urge the side wall ID lirmly against the crests la of the coil structure 2. Thus an adequate heat exchange relationship is maintained between the side plate I0 and the evaporating refrigerant in the coil space A. And the plate is maintained fiat and firm, `with the side Walls I and I plane, and parallel in relation to each other.

Whereas a small volume of eutectic may be used in the form of Figures 1 to 3, under normal circumstances, where a eutectic is used, it is advantageous to provide a relatively large body of eutectic. In such event, the form of Figures 4 and 5 may be employed, in which the plate side wall 2l) is provided with circumferential walls or flanges 2I which are substantially deeper or broader than the walls II of Figure 3. Since this positions the plane portion of the side wall 20 remotely from the pressed coil structure of the intermediate wall 2, I provide a plurality of vanes 22 which may be connected by any suitable cross supports, spacing rods or the like 23. The vanes 22 have straight edges 24 adapted to abut against the inner surface of the side wall 20, when that side Wall is inwardly drawn by the above described pressure differential. The vanes 22, at their opposite edges, may engage the opposed surface of the intermediate plate 2. It will be understood, however, that whereas it is advantageous to form the vane edges 25 to conform generally to the coil structure or intermediate wall 2, it is not necessary to employ micrometric accuracy.

The result of the employment of the above described temperature differential is to cause the atmosphere, operating on the exterior surfaces of the side walls I and 20, to hold the edges of the vanes 22 in adequate heat exchange relation with the wall 20 on the one hand and with the wall 2 on the other. In order to permit distribution of and expansion of the eutectic, I provide any suitable apertures or broken away portions in the vanes 22. I illustrate, for example, apertures 26.

It will be realized that, whereas, I have described and illustrated a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in the size, shape, number and disposition of parts Without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my precise showing. For example, the intermediate wall 2, which is shown as secured to the plate side wall I, may also be secured directly to the side wall I0. Its edge portions, for example, may also be secured directly to the side wall ID. Its edge portions may extend, for example, between the plate side wall I' and the edge flanges I2 of the plate side wall I0, if desired.

Iclaim:

1. In a vacuum type plate, two plate walls having generally parallel, plane surfaced sides and connecting edge portions, said edge DOItOnS being secured together in gas-tight relationship with said plane surfaced sides spaced apart, an intermediate sheet metal wall in the space between said plate Walls and forming, with one of said plate Walls, a coil space adapted to receive a volatile refrigerant, the opposed portions of said intermediate sheet metal wall and said last mentioned plate wall being secured together in gas-tight relationship, a supporting structure lying between the intermediate sheet metal wall and the other plate wall, said supporting structure being of heat conductive material and being formed and positioned directly to engage the outer surface of the coil forming portion of the intermediate sheet metal wall and the inner surface of the other plate Wall, and means for maintaining a less-than-atmospheric pressure in the interior of the space between said last mentioned plate wall and said intermediate wall, and for thereby holding the plane surfaced side of said last mentioned plate wall against and in heat transfer relationship with the supporting sructure, said means including a fitting through which air may be exhausted, and closure means for the fiitting.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the supporting structure includes a plurality of parallel metal strips each having one edge in engagement with the inner surface of the plate wall remote from the coil and an 0D- posite edge in heat exchange relationship with the coil.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the supporting structure includes a plurality of parallel metal strips each having one edge in engagement with the inner surface of the plate wall remote from the coil and an opposite edge in heat exchange relationship with the coil, said strips being apertured to permit the passage of liquid therethrough, the space in which they lie being at least partly filled by a eutectic.

4. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the space in which the supporting structure lies is at least partially filled by a eutectic.

5. The, structure of claim 1 characterized in that the supporting structure includes a Plurality of strips lying in parallel with each other and generally at right .angles to the sides of the plate, and connecting means for securing said strips together in predetermined spaced relationship.

HERMAN W. KLEIST.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,775,819 Fischer et al Sept. 16, 1930` 2,002,444 Woodruff May 21, 1935 2,016,007 Hellen Oct. 1, 1935 2,021,995 Heath Nov. 26, 1935 2,073,123 Smith Mar. 9, 1937 2,145,308 Jorden et al. Jan. 31, 1939 2,156,544 Raskin May 2, 1939 2,217,702 Kleist Oct. 15, 1940 2,436,390 Kleist Feb. 24, 1948 2,440,753 Mock May 4, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 124,821 Germany Oct. 30, 1901 

